PARIS — (AP) — France’s new prime minister François Bayrou announced Tuesday the renegotiation of a contested plan raising the retirement age from 62 to 64, in a crucial move to seek more stability for his minority government.
In his first address to lawmakers at the National Assembly, Bayrou said: “I’m choosing to put this subject back on the agenda, with the social partners.”
Bayrou vowed to seek “a new path of reform, without any totems or taboos, not even the retirement age,” as long as the financing for the changes is guaranteed.
President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 unleashed months of mass protests from January to June 2023 that damaged his leadership.
Bayrou also outlined other top priorities, including key budget decisions, one month after he was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron.
Bayrou urgently needs to pass a budget bill for 2025. Following the collapse of the previous government, an emergency …